Expression of Interest for the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures

FCT has launched an invitation to scientific institutions, individually or in consortium, to submit an Expression of Interest to be included in the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest (RNIE) as a research infrastructure, with a view to updating, modernizing and strengthening it for the period 2022-2027. The call for expressions of interest can be accessed here and the form for responses will be available between November 18, 2021 and January 11, 2022.

Integration as a research infrastructure in the NREN will be possible in the following ways:

• Continue to integrate the RNIE as a research infrastructure, with no changes to the composition of the consortium or its scope of action;
• Continue to integrate RNIE as a research infrastructure, with changes in the composition of the respective consortium, namely through the merger of two or more research infrastructures, or in the scope of their activities;
• Integrate the RNIE with projects for new research infrastructures.

This expression of interest is also intended to prepare the updating of the Research Infrastructures Regulation and the launch of Calls for a new funding cycle for RNIE infrastructures, to be supported by national and EU funds through the Portugal2030 program.

You can access the invitation:

• the infrastructures currently included in the NREN (modalities 1 and 2);
• R&D institutions, namely R&D units, Associate Laboratories, collaborative Associate Laboratories and technology interface centers;
• State Laboratories or International Laboratories based in Portugal;
• private non-profit institutions whose main purpose is research and development (R&D);
• other public and private non-profit institutions that carry out or participate in R&D activities.

In 2013, FCT issued a Call for proposals to create a National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest (RNIE). During this phase, 40 infrastructures were included in the Roadmap, which are included in the first RNIE published at the end of 2014. Science and technology infrastructures are part of the national scientific and technological system and are considered strategic for supporting research and development (R&D). They are a reference at national and international level as they are part of external networks, namely the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).

By May 2020, 16 new research infrastructures had been integrated into the RNIE through four orders from the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education. In June 2020, FCT published the first update of the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures - RNIE 2020, including a total of 56 infrastructures.

More information about RNIE is available here.